At the end of March, YCIS celebrated the 5th annual Seeds of Hope Gala Charity Concert. Held at the Grand Theatre in Chongqing, the annual concert brought the entire network of YCIS schools together to support the school’s Seeds of Hope charity, which was formed in 2008 in response to the catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan Province. The funds raised by the concert, as well as by other Seeds of Hope initiatives throughout the school year, are used to build or remodel a Seeds of Hope School every year in a region in which YCIS has a school.

This year’s concert opened with an introduction about Seeds of Hope, which included a brief video clip highlighting the recent activities at all the Seeds of Hope Schools. Dr Betty Chan, YCIS Director and School Supervisor, then handed the “Key of Knowledge” to representatives from the latest Seeds of Hope School in Xiuning. This was followed by the announcement of a new project for next year, which will be in Qianjiang District, Chongqing.

The theatre was buzzing backstage, as the 220 talented performers from all of the Yew Chung and Yew Wah campuses around the world gathered to perform in front of a packed theatre of nearly 1000 audience members. Students from YCIS Shanghai performed in several parts of the concert, including two Year 6 Primary students from the Century Park Campus on the violin, accompanied by Mr Edward Swider, Primary Music Teacher, on the trombone. YCIS students from both the Century Park and Gubei campuses also participated in a number of arrangements with the combined International Orchestra, collectively showcasing the fantastic music programme that YCIS provides.

According to Mr Chris Perks, School Chaplain for YCIS Shanghai “The concert was a great success. The students’ and teachers’ hard work, combined with the generosity of our amazing community, contributed to an unforgettable and very touching event.”

Ms Sally Davis, Secondary Head of Music has attended all five Seeds of Hope concerts. She says, “Our students performed fantastically and we are proud to have supported another successful charity concert. It’s also great to see friendships as the same students continue to return each year for these concerts. It’s so good to see them catching up with each other again and sharing stories, laughs, and music.”

The concert successfully raised more than RMB 135,000 yuan for Seeds of Hope, and the wonderful evening was a worthy reward for all of the hours of practising and rehearsals by students and faculty to prepare for the event throughout the school year. To learn more about YCIS’s Seeds of Hope charity, click here.